Ouyang Shuo was very satisfied with Zhang Yi's diplomatic mission. He instructed Zhang Yi to stay in Hala Helin for a while longer and discuss with Yelu Chucai to see each other's strength.
If the results of the negotiations were satisfactory, Great Xia would form a proper negotiation team.
Sun Tzu's Art of War states, "Therefore, the first step is to attack the enemy's stratagem, the second step is to attack the enemy's friends, the third step is to attack the enemy's troops, and the third step is to attack the city. The method of attacking the city is the last resort." Subduing the enemy without fighting was the highest realm.
From the destruction of the four-nation alliance to the subjugation of the Mongolian Empire, Great Xia had been implementing this ideology.
…
In the first half of the seventh year of Gaia, other than the African continent and South America, the rest of the world was relatively peaceful, especially in the European continent. The six empires had settled down and there were no more wars.
In addition to intervening in West Africa, the European dynasties had also strengthened their internal affairs, especially with the help of the first industrial revolution. They were secretly accumulating their strength in preparation for the great changes in the future.
Amidst the peace, the European dynasties also had their own worries.
…
Steeltud Empire, Castle Avik.
Annie, who was dressed in a military uniform, walked into the palace. All the servants who saw her along the way bowed and greeted her, "Your Highness!" However, Annie was expressionless. One could faintly see that she was tired.
When he reached his brother William's office, he slumped into the chair.
When William saw this, he said with pity, "The battle at the frontlines isn't going well, is it?"
Annie nodded and said bitterly, "I'm afraid we can't take down Nigeria. Brother, I'm sorry."
William waved his hand. "It's not your fault."
The siblings looked at each other and could see the bitterness and disappointment in each other's eyes.
Nigeria was located in the southeast of West Africa, at the peak of the west coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It was the most populous country in Africa, with a total of 15 million players, 16% of the total number of players in Africa.
Nigeria was a major energy resource country in Africa. It was the largest oil producer and exporter in Africa. Among the 76 types of minerals that had been discovered, 34 of them had commercial exploitation value.
More importantly, Nigeria was once a colony of the British Empire.
When the European dynasties were preparing to divide West Africa, William did not hesitate to choose Nigeria as the target of attack. As long as Nigeria was taken, the Gangdor Dynasty would have a firm foothold in West Africa.
However, it turned out that he had overestimated the strength of the Royal Army and underestimated Nigeria.
In the game, there were no more than five million Steeldor players, which happened to be a third of Nigeria's. Taking down Nigeria would feel like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
In history, the British Empire reached its peak at the beginning of Queen Victoria's era. Its territory was about 33.67 million square kilometers, covering a quarter of the earth's land and a quarter of the earth's population. It was the country with the widest span and largest area in the world's history.
They had once launched the Opium War against the Qing Dynasty with only a few thousand men.
Because the empire's territory and territories covered seven continents and four oceans, including Antarctica, it was described as the second "empire where the sun never sets" after the Spanish Empire.
At that time, the British Empire relied on the Industrial Revolution and their invincible navy.
However, in the game world, Gaia favored countries with large populations and territories. Although Castle Avik had used its genes from the Industrial Revolution to be the first to develop the steam engine and obtain a certain advantage, in the context of global technological expansion, such an advantage was not enough to establish hegemony.
Especially when the global maritime hegemony was firmly controlled by the Xia Kingdom, the Gangdor Dynasty was even more powerless. Because it was an island country, far away from the mainland of Europe, it even missed the feast of invading small European countries.
Among the six major dynasties in Europe, the Gangdor Dynasty was only comparable to the Gauls and belonged to the bottom of the list. The once glorious empire where the sun never sets could only hide in its native island, struggling at death's door.
Such an outcome, of course, did not satisfy William.
But reality was cruel.
"Why don't we form an alliance with Spain or Gaul and attack Nigeria together?" Annie suggested.
William shook his head firmly. "Don't think that we belong to the same camp. They won't do anything until they see the rabbit. If we really form an alliance, how are we going to split the cake?"
There was one more thing that William did not say. If they had to ask for help to attack Nigeria, it would be too embarrassing. William's pride would not be able to accept it.
"Also, there are other targets in West Africa. Why would they want to go further?" William added.
Annie asked, "Then what should we do? Retreat?"
William nodded. "Retreat. Since we can't win, let's not force it. We don't want to waste our military power. We'd better defend our homeland and manage our internal affairs. As for West Africa, we won't fight. "
Annie's eyes dimmed. She was known as the war goddess of the dynasty.
Seeing this, William comforted her. "Don't feel that it's a pity. Don't think that they're busy fighting for territory. The real cruel war has yet to begin. "
"Brother, are you talking about Great Xia?" Annie understood immediately.
"That's right. You should know that Great Xia conquered nine countries in East Africa in just six months. They're invincible. It's simply terrifying. They're not satisfied with the current situation. Instead, they're making use of the time to digest their current territory. Once they're done, there will be a good show to watch. "
At this point, William sighed. "Sometimes, I really envy that guy."
Four years ago, when Ouyang Shuo led the ocean fleet to Castle Avic, William did not feel that there was any difference between the two territories.
Four years later, the difference between the two was like heaven and earth.
William seemed to see the scene of Great Xia sweeping across the African continent. He was even more determined to retreat from West Africa.
Annie had a different view. She frowned and said, "Brother, the wilderness is not like reality. It's extremely cruel. The road to hegemony is even more difficult. If we retreat now, we may not even be able to defend our homeland in the future. "
"Let's not talk about the future. The Germanic Dynasty is eyeing us covetously."
The Germanic Dynasty was the most active in expanding in West Africa.
Because they occupied the hinterland of Europe, after annexing various countries, the Germanic Dynasty had a total of 20 million players and a dynasty army of nearly three million. They were extremely powerful.
The Germanic Dynasty carried the flag of the Azure Emblem on the European continent.
While consolidating the internal affairs, the Germanic Dynasty attacked from both sides. They conquered the Northern European countries in the north and attacked the West African continent in the south. They were one of the most active dynasties in Europe.
The two dynasties faced each other across the sea and had fought two wars in history. It was not impossible for them to fight again.
William shook his head and said with a smile, "The Germanic Dynasty is surrounded by strong enemies. If they want to attack us, they'd better first deal with the Gaul Dynasty, the Caesar Dynasty, and the Romanov Dynasty.
"And someone in the organization has already proposed to see if we can gather the power of the five dynasties at the right time to besiege the Germanic Dynasty and drive it out of the European continent." In order to convince his sister, William did not hesitate to throw out a shocking gossip. "If the plan succeeds, the entire European continent will be the world of the organization. As long as we defend our homeland, we can rest easy with our family's position in the organization."
Hearing this, Annie fell into deep thought.
Even so, Annie was still a little unwilling. "We have been fighting in Nigeria for so long. It's not worth it to withdraw like this. How about … "
Annie looked at her brother cautiously and said, "How about we quietly ask for help from Great Xia and let them help us take down Nigeria? Brother, don't you still keep in touch with them?! "
"Don't!"
William was very determined. "Don't even think about it. You should know the consequences of betraying the organization. If this matter is discovered by the organization, how can we still stand on the European continent in the future? "
"Do it secretly. What are you afraid of?" Annie was really fearless.
"No, don't even think about it." William took a deep look at his sister and said, "From tomorrow onwards, you'd better rest for a while. Don't worry about the withdrawal of the troops."
"Brother!" Annie was anxious.
William was unquestionable. "That's it. You can go now!"
Annie saw this and left angrily.
William sighed and muttered to himself, "How would you know how deep the waters are here?"
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